Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-12-03
HUNTING FOR RIVER THIEVES.
Creeping in Bont Along tho wharve
and Piers of New York City.

Creeping in Boat Along tho Wharves
/ and Piers of Now York City.
It WINS poor night for river thieves to be
abroad. They generally come out when fog
and rain and mist are thickest. Jose and
Cregan bent to their oars with u short arm
and shoulder stroke, the kind that would
drive Bob Cook wild, but Is the best in tho
world for this kind Of work. Past the silent
colony of canal boats off Joannette park the
boat shot along awhile, then halted.
Slowly and silently the men padded close
to tho outer edge of tho fleet On one Of tho
furthest boats could be seen man handling
long hawscr. They watched him, satisfied
themselves that he was all right, then rowcd
away. They crept closely to tho edges of tho
wharves and piers, hiding in tho friendly
shadows SO as to spring out unexpectedly on
any crooked work that might be going on.
They rowed among the fishing srnacks as
Fulton Market b. sin. Baskets, coils of ropc
and hawsers lay around in the bright moon
light. Not soul was on guard. t;seeined
strange that none of the gangs cainenround
/ to steaLuntil you remembered the constant
feat they arc III OF the harbor police. The
river was as quiet as country graveyard on
stormy winter day. a Catherine ferry
! boat stole with noiseless wheel out Of her
/ slip. mot oven the warning whistle was
fsounded ds:shc, silently started out.
+ Into the basin between the; twin Dover
ltdocks"3crept the police boat Giantsfoats
laden with freight cars rose and2fell slowly
with the tide, like sen monsters asleep. A
.. shanty on a small float was visited There
wasn't a sign Of life about 1t. "Old Nc
Donald isn't doing any work tonight said
lone. Hes 'speculator,' and sometimes
people come here to sell him things between
midnight and daylight" McDonalds dumpy
looking rowboats were moored close by.
Thoy bobbed up and down and made queer
noises when the little waves broke on their
sides, as if they wero guying the officers for
not finding any one to arrest.
Foul, pungent and mysterious low tide
odols, suggestive of old, dank tombs, noated
out from under the pier. Slowly the men
rowed their boat up between the Shiny, gray
tilnbers Jose flushed tho light through the
dim recesses and scanned every Granny with
care Sometimes they. hide boat or two
In there with nice little jag Of sugar, !" he
said, "and snake it out lively when they
think we're not looking There WIS nothing
to be seen this time, though. Up past the
bridge the boat SKINNED, each man keeping
his weather eye lifting for amphibious
crooks. The vast roadway in the air hung far
aloft, like some fairy creation Of silver. Its
stout cables and heavy guy ropes looked like
unsubstantial cobwebs from tho river.
Through and under all the open piers the
police boat threaded its way. Ships and
barks and briggs lay at their moorings on
every hand with not man on guard on
their decks. And whyi Because ship cap
tains in this port know that river piracy is
thing Of the past. The harbor police and
Recorder Smytho have made this charming
ftyle of crime so costly that the tough gen.
tlemen who were addicted to it have sworn of.
In the past three years the remainder OF tho
onco active gangs that infested this city have
been sentenced to some 100 years. imprison-
ment in Sing Sing Tho Border Gang" or
"Hook Gang" used to operate from under the
long wharf at Corlear's Hook. They are all
gone now.-New York World.